The question what executive orders did Joe Biden sign remains one of the most searched political topics because of how much policy he shaped through presidential directives. Between January 2021 and January 2025, Biden issued a large number of executive orders covering climate policy, civil rights, immigration, economic recovery, technology oversight, and public health. The Federal Register lists these actions in detail, but the broader themes show how his administration sought to reset national priorities after the 2020 election and throughout his term.
Biden’s executive orders represented a structured agenda, not a collection of isolated moves. Each directive linked with his wider promises on climate, health, equity, and economic stability. As of 2025, many remain active, while others were modified or reversed by subsequent administrations. The orders below reflect verified, official actions signed during his presidency.
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How Many Executive Orders Biden Signed
Joe Biden issued over 160 executive orders during his four years in office. His first days brought a rapid series of directives on pandemic response, immigration enforcement changes, environmental rules, and economic relief efforts.
His later executive orders spread across technology, infrastructure, privacy, labor standards, and supply chain protections. Biden’s presidency used executive authority more heavily during periods of congressional gridlock, especially in areas where legislation stalled or where federal agencies required immediate direction.
Key Areas Biden Targeted Through Executive Orders
1. Climate and Environmental Action
Climate directives were a defining feature of Biden’s early presidency. His orders addressed:
- Rejoining and strengthening national climate commitments
- Redirecting federal agencies toward clean energy planning
- Setting conservation goals for public lands
- Strengthening climate resilience efforts
- Expanding renewable energy support initiatives
These orders aimed to push federal departments toward emission reduction targets, climate research, and environmental justice initiatives. They also instructed agencies to evaluate climate risks in procurement and infrastructure planning.
2. Public Health and COVID-19 Response
On his first day, Biden signed multiple health-focused executive orders. They covered:
- Federal mask policies
- Expanded vaccine distribution
- Guidance coordination between federal and state health agencies
- Strengthened medical supply chains
- Increased testing access
Later health-related orders targeted long-term care safety, rural health support, and reproductive health protections.
3. Economic Recovery and Labor
Biden’s orders tied economic support to workforce protections and federal program updates. They included directives on:
- Raising minimum wage for federal contractors
- Strengthening worker safety rules
- Expanding access to food assistance programs
- Reviewing supply chain vulnerability
- Supporting domestic manufacturing initiatives
Some orders focused directly on inflation pressure relief and cost-of-living analysis, requiring agencies to examine how federal rules affected consumer prices and access to essential goods.
4. Racial Equity and Civil Rights
One of Biden’s signature early executive orders established a broad government-wide equity framework. Throughout his term, he signed additional orders to:
- Strengthen civil rights enforcement
- Expand access to federal services for underserved communities
- Improve language access across federal programs
- Assess housing discrimination patterns
- Expand tribal consultation processes
These directives required agencies to issue public progress reports and revise internal policies that contributed to inequitable outcomes.
5. Immigration System and Border Policies
Biden reversed or modified several previous immigration directives and initiated new reviews of federal enforcement practices. His orders covered:
- Restoring refugee admissions infrastructure
- Reviewing family reunification and humanitarian programs
- Adjusting enforcement priorities
- Updating asylum processing systems
He also ordered agencies to report on naturalization barriers and modernize the legal immigration process.
6. Technology, Competition, and Emerging Risks
As technology evolved quickly during his term, Biden signed orders focused on digital security, privacy, artificial intelligence, and fair competition. These orders aimed to:
- Strengthen cybersecurity standards
- Address harmful corporate consolidation
- Set early guardrails for AI development
- Improve data privacy practices
- Expand broadband access
By 2025, these directives became central to national policy discussions as AI and digital infrastructure shaped new economic sectors.
Notable Executive Orders Biden Signed
During his presidency, Joe Biden issued a series of executive orders that shaped federal priorities across civil rights, economic policy, national security, technology, and public health. While not an exhaustive catalog, the following actions represent some of the most recognized directives that influenced agency operations and long-term policy planning.
• A sweeping racial equity order directing agencies to review discrimination risks
One of the administration’s earliest actions required every federal department to examine how existing programs and funding structures affected underserved communities. Agencies were instructed to identify barriers, propose reforms, and regularly report progress. This effort also included an initiative to improve data collection so systemic inequities could be mapped and addressed more effectively.
• A climate-focused order setting the government on a clean energy path
The White House mandated a coordinated transition toward cleaner energy usage across federal operations. The order elevated climate change to a national security priority, paused certain fossil-fuel leasing processes, and directed agencies to expand renewable energy sourcing. It also created interagency working groups to monitor climate-related financial risks and environmental justice concerns.
• Directives restoring public health coordination in the pandemic era
To re-establish a unified federal response to public health emergencies, Biden ordered agencies to reopen scientific communication channels, strengthen the national testing framework, and improve vaccine distribution logistics. Additional measures required the development of strategies for future emergency preparedness, including data modernization and global health surveillance.
• Orders targeting worker protections and increased minimum wage for contractors
A series of labor-focused directives instructed federal agencies to tighten safety oversight, review workplace enforcement gaps, and ensure stronger protections for frontline workers. One major component raised the minimum wage for federal contractors, prompting contractor companies to adjust payroll structures and update compliance documentation across multiple departments.
• A reproductive health order ensuring federal support for medical privacy and access
Following shifts in national legal landscapes, Biden signed orders directing agencies to safeguard patient privacy, protect access to reproductive and emergency medical care, and ensure the availability of accurate health information. Federal departments were also told to monitor state-level actions that could restrict essential services and provide guidance to healthcare providers.
• Cybersecurity modernization requirements following federal system breaches
In response to high-profile cyber intrusions, the administration issued directives to overhaul federal cybersecurity standards. Agencies were required to adopt zero-trust architectures, enhance encryption practices, and report incidents more quickly. The order also accelerated the replacement of outdated IT systems and created new shared service models for threat monitoring.
• Competition policy measures aimed at reducing monopolistic behavior
Biden’s competition order instructed regulators to examine dominant market structures across sectors such as technology, agriculture, transportation, and healthcare. The order encouraged scrutiny of mergers, promoted workers’ ability to change jobs more freely, and sought to reduce hidden fees that burden consumers. Agencies were tasked with drafting new guidelines and coordinating enforcement.
• Orders strengthening federal supply chain resilience
Growing concerns about shortages led to directives requiring detailed analyses of supply chain vulnerabilities in pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, energy systems, and critical minerals. Agencies were told to map dependence risks, develop diversification strategies, and propose capacity-building initiatives. Annual reviews became part of the long-term plan to prevent future disruptions.
• A major infrastructure oversight directive coordinating technology and transportation agencies
As part of broader infrastructure modernization efforts, Biden signed orders that streamlined coordination among transportation, broadband, energy, and technology agencies. These directives clarified project approval timelines, expanded digital mapping tools, and established standards to support large-scale public works and next-generation mobility systems.
• AI-focused actions related to safety standards and innovation leadership
Recognizing the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, the administration issued orders requiring agencies to set safety benchmarks, encourage responsible development, and support domestic leadership in AI research. Tasks included drafting guidelines for government use of automated systems, monitoring risks in critical sectors, and supporting workforce training for emerging technologies.
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Changes After January 2025
When Joe Biden left office, the incoming administration initiated a broad review of existing executive actions—an established practice that occurs during every presidential transition. Executive orders are not permanent laws; they are administrative directives that can be modified or reversed when policy priorities change. As a result, several Biden-era orders entered new phases of evaluation, revision, or termination beginning in early 2025.
Some directives that focused on climate, labor protections, and public health underwent targeted amendments as departments realigned their priorities to match new leadership objectives. In certain cases, agencies paused implementation timelines, updated reporting requirements, or reissued guidance reflecting the altered direction. Orders dealing with regulatory rulemaking were particularly scrutinized because many of those processes stretch across multiple years, requiring adjustments rather than abrupt cancellations.
At the same time, a significant number of Biden’s executive orders remain active because they underpin multi-year federal programs or involve statutory responsibilities that transcend political transitions. Initiatives dealing with cybersecurity modernization, supply chain resilience, long-term infrastructure planning, and federal technology upgrades continue to influence agency operations. These areas often require stable frameworks that persist across administrations, making complete reversals impractical or counterproductive.
Federal agencies maintain publicly accessible logs that track the current status of all presidential directives. These records document which Biden-era orders continue in full, which have been partially altered, and which have been replaced by new instructions issued after January 2025. The updating process is ongoing, and agencies typically revise their internal policies, regulatory agendas, and budget plans to stay aligned with the latest executive direction.
As 2025 progresses, departments are still adjusting to the evolving priorities of the new administration. This includes finalizing rule changes initiated under previous mandates, implementing new directives that shift focus, and phasing out older requirements no longer deemed central to federal strategy. The result is a dynamic policy landscape in which certain Biden initiatives remain influential, others evolve, and some give way entirely to newly established federal objectives.
Where Biden’s Executive Orders Continue to Matter
Even after administration changes, the impact of Biden’s executive orders remains visible. Climate directives still influence federal energy planning. Equity orders continue shaping civil rights reviews. Technology and cybersecurity directives influence agency requirements and private-sector compliance guidelines. Health and economic directives affect ongoing federal programs.
These orders act as anchors. Removing or replacing them often requires new agency directives, updated rulemaking, or congressional action.
If you have thoughts on how these executive orders affected your community or industry, feel free to share your perspective below.